State of Mind
by nimblnymph
Summary: A person's state of mind is a complicated thing. It defines who we are and how we react. When two completely opposite ways of thinking are tied as one, how will either side maintain who they are? More importantly, keep from killing each other?
1. Chapter 1

Why did it feel so difficult to open his eyes? He didn't even want to think about the pain that came with each and every breath, but the fact that he was struggling to open his eyes was really most disturbing. Hakkai's fingers curled into the sheet that was draped over him, the tell-tale roughness of medical gauze pulling on his skin. So… he was bandaged up. That meant their latest confrontation with assassins didn't progress very well.

Their opponents had been stronger than they'd anticipated and _much_ better equipped than they were used to. As he recalled, they hadn't claimed to be Gyumaoh's assassins either. They'd said… who, what clan name had they given again? Well, he couldn't really remember seeing as they hadn't declared themselves until the battle was well on its way. Gojyo had accused them of working for Gyumaoh (actually if one wished to be technical about it, he'd called them 'lousy Houtu Castle fuck wads') which had then prompted them to reveal that they were _not_ associated in anyway with the revival of the Demon King. All they'd been concerned about was a sanzo monk in their territory.

Hakkai tried once again to open his eyes and was met with a small success by the right one, though it was only enough for him to ascertain that it was daylight and that he was in a room of some kind. Unfortunately, it was his bad eye that was cooperating with him, so he couldn't tell if the blurriness to his vision was a result of that or perhaps some unknown swelling to his face. The last thing he remembered was gathering every scrap of chi he had left in him and releasing it in a massive burst intended to wipe the enemy out completely. After that… he wasn't sure what happened.

The sound of a door opening and closing made him tense up briefly before a young woman's voice said, "Oh, you're awake? Thank goodness! We were beginning to think _they'd_ gotten you."

He heard the girl walk over to his side, the sound of a chair scraping across a wooden floor signifying she was preparing to sit next to him. "How long have I been unconscious?" he asked, his voice sounding far too rough to his own ears. Now that he thought about it, his throat was more than just a little sore.

"About three days," she replied. The sound of water being rung from a cloth heralded a warm rag dabbing carefully at his face, telling him that it was indeed swelling and _not_ poor eyesight that made it difficult to see. "That young guy you're with just woke up yesterday. Poor thing… he's refusing to eat anything. And he keeps trying to leave his room, despite the fact that he's got one arm and leg that are somewhat working. I feel bad for it, but my dad finally had to lock him in the room to keep him from damaging himself any further."

"What about the other two?" The last he'd seen of Gojyo and Sanzo was when the redhead went diving into the pile of youkai that had jumped the monk once he'd run out of bullets. After that, all he'd caught were glimpses of crimson hair and flashes of the shaku-jou's blades before he'd been forced to deal with his own opponents once again. But Goku… to think these youkai had actually been strong enough to take out Goku was beyond shocking.

The girl's hand froze in cleaning his injuries, which was all the answer he needed. Hakkai's stomach gave a sickening lurch as a shudder ran down his spine. "I'm sorry," the girl said softly. "But all we found were you two."

"No bodies?' he asked hopefully.

"No, sorry. If your friends were taken captive by _them_, they'll be dead soon enough. _Those_ demons… they're worse than monsters. Even before all the youkai started going crazy, they were vicious. The fact that you two are even alive is a miracle in itself."

Ignoring the fact that she said it was useless to hope for Gojyo and Sanzo's safety, Hakkai let out a relieved sigh and made an effort to smile. "Pardon me, but I don't believe I caught your name, miss."

"Oh, forgive me! My name is Heiyan. My father owns the best inn in the entire town." The last was said with a good amount of pride to it. "I'm one of the town's healers, too, so it comes in handy to have a dad with extra rooms when the clinic is full."

"Ah. Thank you very much for your kindness, Miss Heiyan. I'm sorry we've been such a burden for you."

"No, please don't think that," she exclaimed quickly. "It's really nothing at all! I'm just sorry our neighbors didn't warn you about the youkai that live on the mountain."

Hakkai chuckled and instantly regretted it as a burning pain flooded from his throat down his chest. "Actually, miss, we _were_ informed of the youkai," he choked out while her hands began to examine his neck and chest carefully. "The mountains were the most direct way west… so we had to cross there."

"Y-You knew about the youkai?" she stammered, her hands pausing on his chest. He could feel the trembling in her fingertips, letting him know just how frightened she was of the mountain demons.

"Er… yes. Though, we hadn't heard they were that formidable. Do you know anything about them?"

Heiyan's breath came out as a soft hiss and the trembling in her hands increased ever so slightly. "Yes… I do," she whispered. "They're abilities lie in illusions and mind tricks. They can literally enter a person's mind and rework it anyway they want to. They can make a person forget who they were, poison their sleep with violent dreams, paralyze them with frightening images. It's one of the reasons we don't ever leave the village at night. That's when they're at their strongest. They call themselves the Akumu Clan."

"I see. Please forgive me for saying this but… it seems to me like you've had experience with the Akumu before?"

He could barely see her, but he could tell she'd gone rigid with the question. "My mother," she whispered, and that was all he needed to hear. Hakkai sighed and raised a heavily wrapped hand to place on her own as his own memories surfaced. He knew too well what it was like to lose a loved one to violence.

"I'm very sorry, Miss Heiyan," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have pried like that."

"No, no. It's fine, really," she said with a laugh. Despite the show of cheerfulness, he could tell he'd made her cry. He hadn't meant to do that. Like his missing counterpart, there was nothing worse than making a kind hearted woman cry. "This happened years ago, so it's really very foolish to be crying about it still."

"I don't think it's foolish at all. Missing someone you love just reaffirms that they lived to begin with."

This time when she laughed, it was more genuine sounding, which brought about a smile on his face. "I suppose so. My dad keeps telling me it's pointless to keep crying over it but… what had happened to her…"

Hakkai squeezed her hand gently to let her know he understood exactly what she was saying. "Well, thank you again for saving us. I don't think either Goku or myself would have survived if it weren't for you."

"Oh… you're welcome," Heiyan said softly as she pulled her hand away from him. Hakkai winced when slipped her arm behind his back and began pushing to help him sit up. "I'm sorry to make you do this, but I need to change your bandages and check how your eyes are doing."

"Ah, so _that's_ why I can't see much of anything," he laughed, relief flooding through him that it was only because of the gauze and not something much worse.

Heiyan laughed with him as she fixed the pillows supporting his back to a more comfortable position. "Well… partially. You must have met one of the Akumu's gazes during your struggle. That's how they get into their victim's heads, you know. Through eye contact."

"Isn't it said that the eyes are the window to the soul?" he mused, tilting his head forward to give her better access to the bandages wrapped around the upper portion of his face. He must have been worse off than he'd thought if he couldn't tell it was gauze clouding his vision and not facial swelling.

She laughed again as she continued unwrapping his eyes. Each new layer removed revealed more and more detail to his vision. "I've heard of that. Still… it's amazing you weren't taken over by their powers. I thought only other youkai could fight them off."

Hakkai forced himself to remain still and not react to her words. Given her obvious fear of the Akumu, it was logical to assume she would be terrified to discover that he was, in fact, a youkai himself. The last thing he wanted to do was terrify an already traumatized girl. "Perhaps I'm just lucky this time around," he murmured.

"Yeah, I'd say you both are," she agreed as she peeled off the last layer of gauze and sat back. "And I can't get over how quickly you're both healing either! It's remarkable."

Hakkai smiled as he ventured to open his eyes again. The sunlight filtering into the room was almost painfully bright through the narrow slits his eyelids formed, but it felt more like an extreme hangover than anything else. It gave him a headache to do it, but he slowly managed to open his eyes fully, blinking in an effort to try and focus his vision a little better.

"Oh, my… I had no idea you had such beautiful eyes," Heiyan gasped, one hand covering her mouth as if she were making a late effort to stop those words from coming out.

Warmth touched his cheeks at the compliment as his fingers picked at the sheets uncomfortably. "Well… they _were_ wrapped up until just now," he supplied with a nervous laugh.

"I shouldn't have said that. It's made you uncomfortable, hasn't it? Please, forgive me."

"No, it's quite alright! Really. It was just a little surprising," Hakkai laughed, waving away her apologies. Now that he could see her a little better, she was actually rather cute. She looked to be about Goku's age with short hair that could have passed for blonde or brunette depending on the light. Her eyes were wide and dark, bringing attention to the freckles scattered across her cheeks. It only helped to emphasize how young she was.

Heiyan offered a timid smile as she tucked a piece of her short hair behind her ear. "I just wasn't expecting them to be green is all. I couldn't see because of the swelling on your face."

"Ah, I suppose that's to be expected when one gets punched a few dozen times," he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. He stopped when his palm began to ache painfully, causing him to frown as he studied the bandaged appendage. In fact…both his hands were wrapped pretty securely. "What happened here?"

"I'm not really sure how it happened, but your hands were burned pretty good," she explained, reaching for the hand closest to her in order to unwrap it as well.

Hakkai's frown became even deeper at this. It seemed that his last ditched effort to blast their opponents with chi had resulted in him burning his own flesh. Interesting. And painful! He sucked in a sharp breath as she began to peel the final layer off of his raw palm. Some of the gauze was clinging to the wound, which was seeping a clear fluid. While it was good that his hands were trying to heal themselves, it made the process of removing bandages exceptionally uncomfortable.

"I know it's terrible to ask you for one more favor, but would you mind keeping an eye out for a small, white dragon or a green Jeep?"

Heiyan laughed, her nose crinkling a little as she did so. "Oh, so he's _your _dragon, huh? We were wondering where he'd come from when we spotted him sitting outside the window ledge the other day."

Hakkai sighed with relief, his shoulders sagging heavily as that burden was lifted off of them. He'd truly hoped Hakuryuu had escaped from the fight in one piece. "Thank goodness," he murmured before turning to look out the window in hopes of seeing his familiar white hide.

"Oh, he's not here at the moment! Sorry, but it seems like after he was certain you would be alright he decided to go off for a bit. He's been returning in the evenings for the food scraps we left out, but we haven't seen much of him during the daylight hours."

While he didn't understand dragon, his gut was telling him that Hakuryuu was out searching for their missing comrades. It made him smile despite his injuries and his own concern for the fact that Sanzo and Gojyo were nowhere to be found. At least someone in their group was being proactive in solving the mystery surrounding their disappearance.

"Miss Heiyan, I was curious… you implied earlier that the Akumu Clan don't normally take hostages. Is there any reason you can think of that they would change their minds about that?"

Heiyan's cheerful smile faded into a look of deep sorrow as her fingers curled into the blankets spread across him. Hakkai really hated dragging up the unpleasant memories the poor girl was obviously trying to get over, but it was important to understand the motives behind why his two companions would have been taken alive to begin with. Heiyan closed her eyes, but not before Hakkai caught the thin glitter of a tear drop threatening to fall down her freckled cheek. He would have given her hands a gentle, reassuring squeeze were they not so tender still.

"The Akumu are all about cruelty and profit," she whispered slowly. "Unless your friends are valuable, the only reason they would still be alive is for the Akumu to torture for their own pleasure."

Hakkai laughed softly as all of his fears were lifted with her words. Heiyan's wide, shocked eyes fell on him, her jaw hanging open as he murmured, "Then there's no reason to fear for them." While it wasn't as good as actually having them there, at least the assurance that they wouldn't be killed any time soon. The fact that he and Goku now had time to heal and plan their attack on the Akumu stronghold was nothing short of miraculous. Sighing, he lay back carefully against the bed and let his eyes fall shut. "Thank you, Miss Heiyan, for your kindness toward us. I promise we won't be a burden to you for longer than it takes to get back on our feet."

The bed shifted as Heiyan rose, adjusting the blanket around him almost hesitantly. "I-I'll come by later with some food," she said softly, her words tinged with worry. "Maybe once you've rested a little more it'll all sink in better."

* * *

Sanzo's teeth gnashed together hard enough he swore he could feel the bones in his jaw crack as he was thrown down and across the rough rock floor of… wherever the hell he was. All he really remembered from the fight were the youkai coming in wave upon wave from the mountain forest. He'd run out of bullets and had grabbed the nearest weapon to him, which turned out to be a dead demon's sword. He hadn't lasted much longer after that, despite the fact that he'd done a pretty damn good job of hacking his way toward Gojyo. The two of them had found themselves ringed in by youkai all around them, the redhead favoring one leg with blood dripping down half his face from a gash in his hair line while Sanzo could no longer feel his right arm and had to concentrate really hard on ignoring the agony that was his ribcage.

After that… all he remembered were meeting the eyes of the youkai coming in on his left and then waking up in a cell with his hands chained over his head, stripped down to his jeans… and without the sutra. That had sent him into a blind fury, one that had resulted in him slicing his wrists to the point of being raw and bloody on the metal cuffs. It had also pissed off the guards outside. They'd come in and begun to lay into him… until a savage kick from his unnoticed cellmate caught one of the guards hard in the back.

Gojyo, acting stupid as always, had opened his big mouth and started hurling insults like they were going out of style at the guards, which had drawn their attention away from Sanzo and onto himself. His ridiculous act of chivalry made Sanzo wish he hadn't lost his gun somewhere in the battle field. Now, instead of one of them being in fairly good condition, they were both fucked up. So much for any sort of escape plan.

He was back in that cell again, his hands chained in front of him and his entire body sore from the recent round of beatings. This time, however, the bruising was accompanied by an interrogation by the leader of the youkai. While it hadn't been very useful to them (seeing as he refused to answer any of their questions), he'd actually learned quite a bit from the questions being asked.

Like the fact that these guys had nothing to do with the revival of Gyumaoh.

And that they were smarter than the average bunch.

Their leader, a tall guy with the build of someone who had studied martial arts, had remained calm while he'd told them to go fuck themselves. It was obvious that, though he didn't fully understand the power of the Maten Sutra, he knew it was not only important to Houtu Castle but to Sanzo as well. The one guard who had handled the sutra with about as much reverence as used toilet paper had been killed instantly… which also told Sanzo the leader wasn't one to be messed with lightly.

Sanzo grimaced as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, sucking in a sharp hiss of breath as his sore back came into contact with the damn stone walls of the cell. He scanned the shadows through narrowed eyes for Gojyo, but there was no sign of the redhead anywhere. Hn… probably off being interrogated as well. Sanzo pressed a hand to his chest as a sudden stab of pain lanced through him, frowning when he didn't notice any tenderness to the skin at all. Weird… but not unusual. Phantom pains weren't uncommon when the entire body was under assault.

Even though he knew there wasn't a point in doing it, he began examining the cuffs on his wrists for what felt like the five millionth time for a weakness or any way they could come off. Why he expected this time to be different was anyone's guess. A wince flickered across his face at another abrupt flash of pain, this time from the area round his hip. Ignoring it and giving up on his chains, he sat back and closed his eyes in the hopes of meditating some of his agitation away.

It had been harder than usual this time around to keep cussing his captors out soundly. Common sense dictated that the more balls he flung in their faces, the more severe the beatings would be. They were bad enough as it was with him keeping his mouth shut, he didn't need to goad them into doing a better job of it. Maybe it was just him being sick, but he'd actually discovered that meditating during the beatings helped to keep from recognizing the pain. It didn't matter what chant he recited, either, just so long as it removed him from the situation.

This time, however… he didn't know what had changed. At least six different times he'd wanted to shout suggestions on the different ways they could fuck their mothers. There were another thirteen times where he'd felt the urge to moan obscenely and tell them to do it harder, which was _completely_ unlike anything he would have thought under normal circumstances. Those thirteen times he blamed entirely on the fact that he was around Gojyo nonstop. Great… perversion was a disease. Knowing his rotten luck, stupidity would prove so, too.

Sanzo took a deep breath and released it slowly, forcing his shoulders to relax against the rocks in preparation of entering a calm, removed state. He wasn't part of this. He was above it all. The pain was meaningless, he could simply let it go…

Those raging mutherfuckers.

No… calm. Muichimotsu. Hold nothing, that's what he was doing. Not holding onto what was happening. Not holding onto the rage or pain. He was empty. He was…

Going to kill those dick sucking bastards the first chance he got.

Snarling, Sanzo thunked his head back against the stones hard enough that it made him see spots. This was so utterly ridiculous! How many situations had he been in before this and kept his cool? How many times had he been beaten to hell and back again and gotten through it simply by placing himself apart from what was happening? And now, the one time that trick would _really_ come in handy, he was acting like that hot headed fuck-tard that was named Sha Gojyo.

As if on cue, the door to their cell was jerked open and a barely conscious mass of bruised flesh and blood was flung to the ground. "You're lucky, you punk-assed half breed fucker," one of the guards snarled from the doorway. Fury was twisting his features, making him look more monstrous than usual. "You ever say somethin' like that about my mom again and I'll fucking rip your goddamn ass to pieces!"

The door slammed shut and locked again before Gojyo could even get a reply together. Not that the kappa looked capable of it anyway. He was barely twitching on the floor, having not moved from where he'd been dumped. Sanzo made his way over to the taller man, grumbling under his breath, "How'd I know you'd say some crap about their mothers?"

"'Cause you know I can't my damn mouth shut," Gojyo mumbled, coughing harshly before spitting a wad of blood and mucus to the dirty ground. "Damn… Either I'm getting used to this shit or it these guys aren't hitting as hard as they were. It didn't hurt as much this time around."

Snorting to himself as Sanzo rolled Gojyo over onto his stomach, he said as he checked the other man's pulse, "Funny, I thought this kind of crap was right up your alley."

A choked chuckle quickly turned into a pained hiss as Gojyo tried pushing himself onto his hands and knees. "Only under the right context. Big, burly dudes laying a whip on my back is soooo not my idea of a good time. Now, if they were chicks with huge tits, then maybe I'd be enjoying our vacation a little more."

"Pervert."

"Tight ass."

Sanzo made damned sure his bare foot kicked Gojyo's shoulder as he crawled back to his former position against the wall, a satisfied smirk twisting his lips at the hissed out cussing from his cellmate. If he had to sit there much longer and listen to Gojyo's perverted mouth, he was going to kill the kappa in his sleep. That is, if their tormentors didn't beat them to it first.

A harsh, sarcastic laugh from said kappa made Sanzo arch a brow and glance his way disdainfully. "What?"

Gojyo managed to roll himself over onto his back, which really wasn't a good idea if he was spitting up blood. As much as he hated the redhead's company, he didn't want him drowning in his own blood. "As if I'd let the fucking pansies kill me," Gojyo sneered, giving Sanzo a cocky glare for added emphasis.

Both eyebrows rose now before Sanzo shook his head and muttered, "Whatever." Why Gojyo had felt the need to bother saying that was beyond him.

"Hey, don't 'whatever' me, you holy prick! You're the one talking about killing me in my sleep!" the other snapped angrily.

That got Sanzo's full and out right attention. Had Gojyo serious just asked… No. There was no freaking way Gojyo had known he was thinking that. It was just a coincidence, or the fact that they'd been spending too much time together. Sighing and leaning back to close his eyes and catch what little sleep he could manage, he said, "You've got it all wrong, Gojyo. If I kill you, I want to do it while you're alive so I can hear you scream."

"You are one sadistic bastard, Genjyo Sanzo," Gojyo drawled back nastily. Sanzo's response was a smirk and one fingered salute.

* * *

Author's Note: Soooo… first chapter of the gift fic I promised to ZabJade! Hope you like it, love. Expect updates for this roughly every two weeks unless otherwise noted. Such as when I go on vacation in three weeks. Cheers, mates, and thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

_Rain slashed through a sky so black that it was impossible to tell where the rolling storm clouds ended and where the actual night began. Something strange was to the air, an emptiness that seemed to sink all the way into his small bones. The very air felt off tonight, anticipation for something unknown and feared making his entire body tremble. He wasn't certain how he knew it, but something wasn't right about tonight. The very air felt off to him, as if it were trying to rob him of his breath. No matter how gentle the smile on the familiar face before him was, it wasn't enough to stop the uneasy, restless feeling in his veins._

_"So, you would do this just because it's my wish?" the smiling man asked, the ever-present humor lacing through his words. It seemed completely out of place next to the rumbling growls of thunder and the pelting rain outside the large room they were in._

_He nodded, swallowing so hard that it made his dry throat ache. He couldn't stop the shaking, couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was just __**not right**__ about this._

_Sighing, the man leaned downward, the loose brown braid slipping over his shoulder to swing gently in front of his face. Long, elegant fingers ruffled through his hair as the normally soothing chuckle reached his ears. "Then it's settled, Kouryuu…"_

_Wait… that wasn't his name. Who was this man talking to?_

_"… Or, should I say…"_

Gojyo snapped awake with a start, blinking rapidly in the heavy darkness of the cell. Shit… what a messed up dream that was! He'd been having a lot of those lately. They were always so vivid when his eyes were closed but were quick to fade into nothing but emotional impressions when he opened his eyes. He ran a hand down his face and shook his head as he pushed himself upright to sit against the wall, wincing at the stinging pain in his ribs. Dumb bastards just _had_ to go and kick him when he was down, didn't they? What pussies! They had to wait until he was damned near out for the count before they laid into him. Gojyo rubbed the tender spot carefully, hissing sharply when he found a particularly sore section. Shit, he really hoped they hadn't broken a rib. Those hurt the worst when they were healing.

And, goddamn it, what he wouldn't give for a cigarette! Hell, he was so desperate for a hit of nicotine that he would seriously consider batting for the other team. Seriously, if some dude walked through that door with a pack of smokes and said they were his if he'd do him, Gojyo was pretty damn certain he'd do it.

Of course, the guy would have to be a real pretty one. Someone he could pretend was a chick. Otherwise, he'd rather go without the smokes. There was no way he was doing some big, burly dude with tattoos and piercings and-

"Will you stop making so much racket?" Sanzo snapped from the corner exactly opposite of him.

Gojyo rolled his eyes and muttered, "Yeah, because I'm just sooo fucking noisy sitting here."

"You are. Go to sleep or die."

"And how do you propose to kill me, O Violent one?" he taunted, smirking as the paler splotch in the shadows shifted irritably. Hey, if he couldn't get any sleep he'd be damned if he was doing it alone!

"Too many options to list off," Sanzo replied dryly. His sigh reached Gojyo's ears before his figure shifted once again until he was sitting up like the redhead across from him. "It's just a question now of which one will give me the most satisfaction."

Gojyo snickered and raked his fingers back through his hair. He grimaced at the grimy texture of the strands and moved shampoo and a shower to the top of his wish list. Even more than cigarettes he wanted to take care of his poor, neglected locks. "I think you're full of shit, monk," he drawled as he wiped his hand on his pants to get the hair grease off. Not that his pants were much cleaner or anything. "If you kill me, our friends won't have anyone to play with other than you."

Sanzo snorted, the chains around his wrists jingling as he shifted. "Maybe it'd get me special treatment or something. You _did_ talk smack about their mothers, after all."

Shrugging, the redhead stretched his legs out in front of him and closed his eyes. "Seeing as they got all pissed off about it, I'd be willing to bet my next pack of smokes everything I said was true," he joked. A soft sound came from the monk, a sort of scoffing laugh of types. Oh-ho, looks like he managed to get a chuckle out of the pissy priest! Go him.

"Hardly," Sanzo said sarcastically before shifting again until he was lying down. "Just get back to sleep already before I decide how to kill you."

Frowning at the monk's rather odd reply to his teasing, Gojyo shrugged and yawned as a sudden wave of sleepiness came on him. Damn… it was just like the last time those punk-assed bitches had gone to town on him. It was like a strange, calming mood came over him, very similar to what it felt like to fall asleep on a muggy summer day. He didn't need to stay awake. He could just lie down and sleep. It didn't matter that there wasn't a bed or that they were prisoners. Sleep was the key thing.

Yawning again, Gojyo curled up once again let the weird calming sensation take over completely, slipping him once again into that strange dream.

* * *

Goku didn't bother looking at whoever was entering his room. Instead, he hugged his knees more tightly to his chest and glared at his reflection in the glass window. He knew he should be thanking the inn people for helping him and Hakkai, but he didn't feel like it. They wouldn't let him go look for Sanzo which automatically put them on his Not Nice List. And they didn't give him enough food, either! Even if it wasn't the best food ever, he still wanted at _least_ thirds!

"Ah, you're awake! How are you feeling, Goku?"

At the sound of Hakkai's pleasant voice, Goku's head whipped around in surprise before he jumped to his feet and launched himself at the smiling man. "Hakkai, you're awake! I was really worried, y'know! They wouldn't lemme see you an' all they'd tell me was that you were okay an'-,"

Hakkai, still smiling despite the faint wincing near his eyes, pried the excited boy off of him and interrupted, "Yes, I'm alright, as you can see. But how are _you_ doing? I heard you were injured as well."

Grinning, Goku ruffled his fingers through his hair and laughed. "Nah, I'm good! _Hungry_ though! Didja hear they wouldn't lemme have more than two servings?"

"Oh, no! That's absolutely tragic, Goku," Hakkai chuckled teasingly.

"Yeah, it _is!_" Goku continued, oblivious to the fact that Hakkai was making fun of him. "So, can we get some food an' then go find that pervy roach an' Sanzo? Can we? Cuz I'm _really_ sick of stayin' here now!"

Still chuckling, Hakkai rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and answered, "I'm sorry, Goku, but we can't go after Sanzo and Gojyo just yet."

"Huh? But why? I'm ready an' you're awake now, so what's holdin' us back?"

"Well, for one thing my being awake doesn't necessarily mean I'm completely better. I still need at least a day or two before I'll be capable of organizing a rescue mission. Secondly, Hakuryuu's not here at the moment. It'll be an awfully long walk back to where our friends went missing without him, don't you think?"

All the joy at seeing Hakkai up and walking about completely left Goku as his head dropped dismally, his shoulder curling forward in defeat. They weren't going to go find Sanzo…? The one thing he wanted more than _anything_ to do at the moment and Hakkai was saying he had to wait longer. But what if longer meant that Sanzo would die? What if… Squeezing his eyes shut to try and stop the burn caused by unshed tears at the thought of Sanzo dying, Goku said softly, "But we can't do nothin', Hakkai! Sanzo an' Gojyo… what if they're…"

"Goku, I'm surprised you'd even think that," Hakkai admonished sharply, his smile fading into a disapproving frown that made Goku cringe. "You seriously think Sanzo or Gojyo would allow themselves to die?"

"I-I dunno. I guess-,"

"Well, I for one am appalled you have such little faith in them. You should know by now that those two are, without a doubt, the most stubborn and pig-headed individuals in our group when it comes to dying. They simply refuse to do it. Now, I would suggest you lose any thoughts you might have on _that_ subject and focus instead on where we're going for dinner." Hakkai smiled as he reached into the pocket of his khakis… and pulled out the gold card. "My treat." Technically speaking… it would be Sanzo's treat. But seeing as the monk _did_ leave the card in his care, that meant he had first rights to ownership in Sanzo's absence.

His cheeks still carrying a bit of embarrassed (really, what was he _thinking_ by wondering if Sanzo was dead?), Goku whooped excitedly and jumped up and down. "Food! Food! Food first, then you get better an' then we go find Sanzo and Gojyo!"

Laughing as he walked to the door with an excited monkey at his back, Hakkai said in a voice that was darkly cheerful, "That's a wonderful idea, Goku! After all, that's _our_ monk and pervert they took. We certainly can't let that slide, now can we?"

"Hell, no! C'mon, hurry up, Hakkai! I think there's a buffet restaurant across th' street!" Goku grabbed Hakkai's wrist and dragged him out the door. Geeze… He knew the other man was injured, but he didn't have to move so _slow!_

* * *

Sanzo gasped as a heavy, booted foot connected hard with his gut, instantly snapping him awake in a manner he was very quickly coming to hate. Fucking bastards…

"Up! Get your ass up now, human!"

Gritting his teeth as claw tipped fingers scraped across his scalp before grabbing a handful of his hair and using it to haul him to his feet, Sanzo resisted the urge to introduce his knee to his tormentor's groin. There were five other guards in the cell blocking Gojyo from getting to him and his wrists were still chained. Pissing them off now would just be a waste of time. He was shoved forward and out the cell door so hard that he slammed into the wall opposite with enough force to knock the breath from his lungs. "Shit," he choked out before that hand was back to grabbing his hair and jerking him down the dimly lit corridor.

As if his hair were a leash, the guard dragged him down the hall, uncaring that Gojyo was shouting obscenities as the unmistakable sounds of fighting reached their ears. "The boss wants to see you now," the big youkai growled.

"Oh, joy," Sanzo muttered sarcastically, hissing as the fist tightened in his hair. Damn it, was the bastard trying to make him _bald_?

"Watch your fucking tone, human! The boss is the _only_ reason we haven't killed your pathetic ass dead yet!"

"I'll get him a thank-you card for the effort," he bit back. This time when the youkai tightened his fist, Sanzo felt a few hairs rip free. Great…. If he had a bald spot because of this asshole, Gojyo was never going to let him live it down.

He tried to pay attention to the direction they were going in, but each new tunnel and passageway looked exactly like the rest. He was tugged through random twists, around corners and through rooms that were housing the soldiers of the place. The entire compound was nothing more than a giant rat's maze as far as he could tell. Damn it, that was going to make planning an escape route difficult.

The guard pulled him up short outside a thick wooden door and banged on it to let whoever was on the other side know they were there. The door opened with a hard jerk and Sanzo found himself all but thrown into the dimly lit room. His hip slammed hard into the thick wooden table that took up the majority of the space, causing him to grind his teeth to contain the pained yelp that wanted out. As a heavy hand grabbed him by the shoulder to slam him down into a nearby chair, Sanzo managed to get a good look around the room.

One door, blocked by guards on either side of it. No windows and hardly any maneuvering room for a fight, not unless he jumped on top of the table. No chance of that happening, not with the world's biggest hair puller planted by his side. He hated being cornered, but there was nothing he could do about it just yet. Well, besides cuss them blue… Which he was _not _going to do as a first course of action. So, instead of giving the bastards and earful, he settled for glaring at the youkai seated at the other end of the table.

The leader of the youkai smiled, and if it weren't for the current state of things it would have almost passed for pleasant. "It occurred to me, sanzo priest, that we were never formally introduced," the man drawled, his voice resembling a cross between a purr and a deep, bass growl. It was definitely the type of voice that would be heard over the battlefield. "You've been my guest for a little over a week now and I still don't know your name. My apologies for being rude. My name is Jun Retsu. As you've probably guessed, I'm the leader of this clan."

"Peachy," Sanzo replied. What, was it supposed to impress him? Besides putting a name to the face and giving him a rough timeline of how long they'd been imprisoned, it was all old news.

Jun Retsu arched a pale silver brow and murmured when it was obvious Sanzo wasn't going to elaborate, "It's considered incredibly rude not to introduce yourself in return, monk."

Sanzo shrugged and said, "Sorry, they don't offer an etiquette course at the temple." He grunted when the guard next to him kicked his shin sharply under the table. Apparently, Gorilla Guard didn't appreciate the fine art of sarcasm. Not that he was surprised there. Sarcasm was wasted on idiots.

"Please… try to refrain from torturing our guest right now," the pale demon chided lightly. "This is a conversation, not an interrogation, so his attempts at humor are not offensive."

Sanzo snorted and shook his head, one corner to his lips quirking upward in a disbelieving smirk. "I don't think we have much to _converse_ about, so why don't we skip the niceties. Why are we still alive?"

Jun Retsu's smile widened and a flash of what looked like delight flickered through his dark eyes. "Ah, a man who gets straight to the matter. What a nice change from the usual. Normally, it's pleas for mercy or death that I hear from those we capture. But you won't beg for anything… will you?"

"Stop avoiding the question. Why are my companion and I still alive?" the blonde insisted. His voice was forceful enough, but it was empty and everyone in the room knew it. There wasn't much he could do while restrained, under guard and weaponless.

A small chuckle came from across the table as Jun Retsu leaned his cheek against his hand, his elbow balanced on the arm of his chair. "Again, not the typical question I'm used to getting. You don't want to know what I want?"

"Not really, and I'm getting pretty tired of this evasion shit. Either answer the question or let's get the _real_ interrogation done and over with."

Still smiling and looking incredibly happy with their verbal exchange, Jun Retsu reached into the front of his tunic… and pulled out the Maten Sutra. There was no way Sanzo could have kept his eyes from dropping to it if he had tried. "All youkai know about the sanzo monks," he began slowly, his fingers almost reverently caressing the neatly rolled up paper. It was enough to make Sanzo grip his chair so tightly his knuckles bleached white. Just watching that demon touch _his_ sutra… He was going to enjoy killing this bastard. Very much.

"We know the myth that eating the flesh of the most holy of monks is a way to immortality." Jun Retsu chuckled lightly as he settled the sutra on the table top and let go of it. Sanzo very nearly sagged in relief. "Personally, I don't believe in such a thing as immortality. Nothing can _truly_ live forever. What do you think, sanzo priest?"

Sanzo leveled a cool, hard glare at the demon across from him. "Is that why you had your apes drag me from my cell? To discuss our philosophies about immortality?" he asked dryly.

"No, though I am genuinely curious about your take on it. But my true purpose for having my men bring you to me is this; I know who you are. You're Genjyo Sanzo, the monk assigned to eradicate the youkai from Shangri-La. It wasn't terribly hard to figure out. Rumors that you would be coming across my doorstep reached my ears long before you were even in the area."

Letting out a dry, mirthless laugh, Sanzo leaned forward to prop his elbows on the tabletop and fold his hands together in front of his mouth. Ignoring the hand that clamped once again on his shoulder, he said quietly, "You're wrong. We're not out to eradicate the youkai. Just your friends in Houtu Castle."

Jun Retsu's smile turned smug as he nodded. "_You_ are the one who's mistaken, Genjyo Sanzo. I knew that's what your mission was. Do you honestly think I'd believe a rumor that four men were seeking to destroy all youkai existence? No… Your objective is much simpler than that. You've been too direct in heading west to be bent on killing us all. Also… Houtu Castle is _not_ the friend of the Akumu Clan. In fact, you might say we're opposed to anything that has to do with Gyumaoh."

Now _that_ was some new information. Sanzo leaned back in his chair to study Jun Retsu with narrowed, suspicious eyes. He knew there were some youkai who were fighting the affects of the Minus Wave, but he hadn't been aware that there were whole clans against the revival project. "Good for you. What's this have to do with us being kept alive? Seeing as those cluster-fucks at Houtu Castle have it in for us, wouldn't it be in your best interest to kill us just to spite them?" He wasn't pushing for an execution or anything, merely trying to get an answer to his original question.

"Why kill you when you're more valuable to me alive?" the pale demon murmured, his eyes glittering with amusement.

"Valuable? How so? Are you proposing a 'my enemy's enemy is my friend' sort of deal?" he demanded.

"Close. It would be more accurate to say 'my enemy's enemy is my tool'."

Sanzo rolled his eyes and made a scoffing sound, to which he got another sharp kick under the table. This time, it looked like the goon's boss wasn't going to chastise him. "I'm not following you. Houtu Castle wants us dead, so using us as bargaining chips is pointless."

"Perhaps I should have said there's something on you that is valuable," Jun Retsu corrected. Both men looked at where the sutra sat on the table. "I honestly could care less if you both died today. In fact, it might be interesting to see if we could finally make that pretty mouth of yours scream something other than obscenities and empty threats. However…," Sanzo flinched as the demon trailed a single claw down the green lining of the Maten Sutra. "This item here is worth more than all the lives of my men combined."

It took a couple deep, calming breaths before Sanzo was able to speak around the rage boiling inside him. "The power of the sutra is useless to you. Only its keeper can command it."

"And now you have the answer to your first question, Genjyo Sanzo. You're still alive because you're the only one who can use the sutra. All of the other sanzos are either dead or vanished. So… now you know your worth to me. You are the key, a tool that I intend to use to dominate all of the youkai in Shangri-La. With your aid, I _will_ be King of the Youkai."

"And if I refuse?"

"It would be wise for your friend's sake if you didn't.'

"He's not my friend."

Jun Retsu's laugh was chilling to say the least. Sanzo barely managed to suppress the shiver that wanted to move down his spine as the pale demon retrieved the Maten Sutra and slipped it back into his shirt. He stood up and circled the table to make for the door. The guard next to Sanzo squeezedhis shoulder in warning as the demon lord walked within striking distance of him. "I'm sure you two are quite a bit _closer_ than you seem to think, Genjyo Sanzo. Let's discuss this in another week, shall we? Until then… Please enjoy your stay with the Akumu Clan."

No sooner had the door slammed shut than the four beefy guards began to lay into him.

* * *

Shit! Fuck! Damn! _Fuck!_ Gojyo gasped as his features twisted into a hard wince. What the hell was wrong with him? He jerked on the floor of the cell at the sudden stab of lightning pain that lanced up his side. He knew this type of pain very well. It came from having someone kick his ass royally. But why the _hell_ was it happening now? It sure as fuck hadn't hurt before, goddamn it! He'd heard of delayed reactions and all, but this was totally ridiculous!

A choked cry managed to find its way from his straining throat as his hand pressed into the area near where he thought his kidney was located. Shit… that one felt like a big freakin' foot had just planted itself into his side. Just as he was about to try and get up to search for an invisible attacker, the throttling ceased, leaving him drenched in sweat and so sore he almost didn't want to breathe. A tentative tracing of his fingers along one of the tender spots left him feeling disappointed. What, no bruising? Fuck that! If he was going to get a beating, he wanted to marks to prove it, damn it! It was weird though, having pain without the beating. Maybe his brain was playing catch up with the situation. Yeah… that was probably it. Like that one time he slammed his thumb in the door of the bathroom when Hakkai-

The door to the cell opened, causing him to sit up as a bloody and very beaten Sanzo was flung to the floor. When the monk didn't so much as twitch after the door was slammed shut, Gojyo's heart about stopped. Shit… those bastards seriously hadn't _killed_ Sanzo, had they? The four foot crawl across the floor was both the longest and most painful four feet he'd ever experienced in his entire life. "Yo, you better not be dead, monk," Gojyo said thickly as he slapped the blond's cheek roughly.

"Bastard… Stop… hitting… me," Sanzo groaned as he cracked one swollen eye open enough to glare at Gojyo.

"Hey, what was I supposed to do? You weren't moving and I was _not_ giving you mouth-to-mouth," Gojyo grumbled as he flopped back into a sitting position. What a load of crap! A pissy attitude was all the thanks he was gonna get for his concern? Next time, he'd just let the blond dick rot!

"It'd be better… than having… your nasty hands… on me," Sanzo groaned, rolling onto his side in order to spit the blood from his mouth.

Gojyo blinked in surprise before his lips curled into a derisive sneer. "I always knew you liked men, Sanzo. Too bad for you I don't lean that way." The guy actually would have _preferred_ mouth-to-mouth over being slapped? Nasty! Maybe he was suffering from a really bad head injury or something. Yeah… that had to be it.

Sanzo pinned him with a dark glare and shook his head before muttering, "Go to hell, degenerate. And get away from me!"

"Gladly!" the redhead shouted before crawling his way back to the corner he was occupying. He was more than willing to ignore Sanzo at that moment. The dude was ungrateful, ornery, sadistic… and now he'd finally come out of the closet. That sooooo was not information Gojyo needed to know, thanks! "You know, Sanzo," he drawled, unable to actually keep from getting the last word in. "Being stuck in this dump is making me redefine my definition of hell."

"Ditto, cockroach."

AUTHOR'S AFTER WORD: So, this is just a warning that the next update probably won't come for three weeks. Sorry, but I'm going to Otakon this year and I'm behind on the cosplay stuff I'm making. Naturally, I'm gonna be so focused on getting THAT all situated before the con so I won't have a chance to get any writing really done.

On another note... Mad Sexy Fiction, my labor of love, is up and running. If anyone hasn't heard yet about MSF, it's my brand spanking new writing website. Join me, comrades! Enjoy the beauty that is Mad Sexy Fiction!


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